All The Right Moves
by elegantdestiny
Summary: Levy McGarden had started at her private school, Fairy Tail Academy, about three years ago. Since then a lot has happened... [Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Fairy Tail characters, Hiro Mashima does.]
1. At The Start

Levy had started at her private school, Fairy Tail Academy, about three years ago. Since then a lot had happened. She had made a best friend, Lucy Heartfilia, who she loved to pieces and would do anything for. Plus, she was number one in her class with the highest grade point average, but the best of all that had to be that she was madly in love with her boyfriend, Gajeel Redfox. They were two years strong and she couldn't imagine her life without him in it. Yet, when they met, it wasn't all daisies and roses. He had transferred in a month after Lucy had, but unlike with her, they originally hadn't gotten off on the right foot.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: At the Start**

 _Two Years Ago_

It had only been a month since Lucy arrived as a transfer to Fairy Tail Academy, and to say that their connection had been anything less than fate was farfetched. The two connected simultaneously over almost everything, including Levy's two favorite things: books and theater. But if it were one thing Lucy and Levy disagreed about, it was boys. While Lucy liked flirting and dating, Levy liked studying and reading more.

Walking into the library during study hall Lucy found Levy in her usual spot, in the last desk near the window. Lucy ran excitedly to her BFF, wanting to talk about the news she had heard that day, "Did you hear?!"

The blue haired girl, hearing her friend's voice, looked up from her novel with one brow raised, "Did I hear what?"

Giving her a 'I'm not surprised' look, Lucy grinned before blurting out, "Well, we have a new transfer student! Actually two, but one's a guy!"

The blonde haired girl was much too excited about the revelation of her own news. While Levy just sat there, dumbfounded. "And this is news to me because?"

" _Because_ , I heard he was a major hottie!" Seeing Levy's not so amused face, she huffed, "... _And_ because I like sharing these things with my best friend!"

Frowning Lucy playfully folded her arms in frustration.

Levy smirks as a small giggle escapes her, "Sorry, but you know I'm not the girl who gets worked up by boys, new or old. I wish I could share your enthusiasm and talk about boys all day, but it just isn't me." Letting a small smile appear on her face, the blonde unfolds her arms and hugs her friend. "It's alright Lev. I know you're into your books and all. I just think you should learn to live a little. We only live once, ya know?"

"I understand, and I promise, I'll try to live at least every once in a while," Smiling at Lucy, she closed her book and folded her legs crisscross, "Why don't I start now. So go ahead and tell me all you know about this new guy." At the sound of that, Lucy's face lit up and they spent the rest of study hall talking about the new guy.

* * *

Once study hall was over, Lucy decided to head to her last class early and Levy decided to head towards the theater room since she had no more classes for the day. Walking away Lucy turned to wave and shouted, "See you after my class Lev!" Waving back while slowly walking backwards Levy responded, "Catch you later Luce!"

As Lucy turned around in the opposite direction, Levy did the same in order to make her way to the auditorium. Just then she realized how close she was to someone but before she could move out of their way, she bumped right into them.

"Oh my, gosh! I am so sorry!" She cried out as she stumbled backwards trying to catch her balance, for the person she had knocked into was a big, muscular boy (though he looked more like a man).

Looking down at her, he stared which was more than intimidating. Soon after he replied, "Watch where yer going next time, ya shrimp..." Taken aback from his statement, she stared back up at him in shock, their eyes met.

Their eyes stayed connected for a while, neither of them knowing why they wouldn't or couldn't look away. Then Levy blinked finally having his words register in her mind. "Hey, don't call me a shrimp!"

"Your short, so why not?" The tall, elusive guy asked still glaring at her with his intimidating yet intriguing demeanor.

"Because… i-it's rude!" She stammered not really knowing why she was so nervous.

He smirked, keeping a sharp gaze on her, "Is that all..?"

"A-and… I don't even know you!" Internally she panicked feeling embarrassed about that response and thinking to herself 'That was the best you could up with.'

Staring at her for another second, he finally just shrugged before responding, "Fair enough…"

As he began to walk away, he turned around to slightly face her again, "Ya really should watch where yer going next time." And with that one remark, he finally left, walking into the distance.

The blunette watched him walk away still feeling dumbfounded, and wondering why he had made her feel that way. As she walked to her destination, as previously planned, she thought back to what Lucy had told her about the new guy. Putting two and two together, she realized that had to have been him.

Finally reaching the auditorium she went backstage, for she knew there wouldn't be anyone back there yet. As she checked the inventory of costumes, she couldn't stop her mind from imagining that guy.

She had never really felt this way before, but she assumed from word of mouth (mainly Lucy) that this must be what having a crush feels like. Her stomach was in knots as butterflies slightly flew around.

Levy didn't know how, but this dark haired boy had struck a chord at her heartstrings and she kind of liked the feeling of it. So until the school bell rang for classes to be out, she hummed a cheerful tune to herself, while cleaning up some props backstage desperately hoping she'd soon meet her mysterious crush again.


	2. Why This Pain

**Chapter 2: Why This Pain?**

The end of the day had arrived with the ringing of the bell. With that Levy knew that the theater room was about to be filled with all her fellow members of the Drama Club. As always, the first people to roll in were Lucy, Natsu, Erza, and Gray a.k.a the Drama Club's executive line up.

"Hey you guys!" Levy exclaimed, greeting each of them as they came through the doors. "Hey Lev!" Lucy and Natsu responded in unison. "Hey Levy." Gray responded next, leaving Erza to say her hellos, "Hi Levy. How are you?"

"I'm great Erza, thanks for asking. Hope all is well with you."

"Yes, today went as perfect as it could." Erza answered with a smile. As Erza sat down on the steps of the stage, Natsu began making his way to the back of the stage near Levy. "So, what's on the schedule today, Prez?"

"Well, first up, we're going to be accepting any new members who come about today? It is our first meeting of the new semester." See, winter break had just finished and it was the first of the year, but Levy never let a break stop her from planning club meetings. She was the president after all.

"Before we get any new prospective members to sign up, we're going to do a little introductory session just to get this first meeting going." Levy continued.

Lucy moved closer to the bunch, followed by Gray. "I don't think I ever got an introduction to the club." The blonde announced.

"That's because you transferred so late into the semester… We were already into our last performance. There was no time to introduce you to the club. Besides, it's just a formality anyways." Gray responded to Lucy's comment, hoping she wouldn't feel as though she missed anything.

She shrugged with a light nod, "I guess you're right… I did come late to the party, but it worked out in the end."

"That it did! That was probably one of our best shows since I've been here." Natsu exclaimed, also trying to make Lucy feel better.

"I concur, it was rather successful." Erza interjected.

"I agree with all of you. All of our hard work and effort really payed off last semester, so let's try to do that again!" Levy added her own encouraging words before she got ready to get everyone in place for the meeting.

"Okay, we have 10 minutes before people start to show. Members and prospective members alike so let's review the agenda and get to work!" The blunette proclaimed while handing each of them a sheet of paper that served as the agenda.

"Aye!" The three exclaimed in unison while accepted the sheets from their president.

* * *

Those minutes passed and people started rolling into the auditorium. All the members who walked in said hello to all the execs of the club and sat in the front rows by the stage. Soon after, new people began to show and one of the first to walk in was Levy's new crush.

As soon as Levy spotted him, her heart began to race and her butterflies returned, but as soon as they came they went because, while she was staring at him, she noticed a girl being rather clingy to him and she had even kissed his cheek.

Levy felt as though her heart went into a thousand pieces. It was a feeling like one she hadn't felt before, this was all still so new to her and she wanted to cry. Unable to move at that moment, she took a deep breath and began the meeting.

"Good Evening everyone, my name is Levy McGarden and I am the president of Fairy Tail Academy's Drama Club. To my left, we have Erza Scarlet, our Vice President. Take it away Erza…" Somehow, Levy was able to pull herself together and say the intro before giving the next bit to Erza.

Erza continued to introduce the rest of the executive team. "To my left we have our treasurer, Gray Fullbuster; to his left is our historian, Natsu Dragneel; and to his left is our secretary, Lucy Heartfilia. To all our returning members, welcome back, and to all of our new faces, we hope we say something that will interest you in our club."

With smiles, the team finish the evening with a bang, leaving many wanting to join. Including, Levy's crush and his mystery lady. They came up to sign the new member sheet, and Levy stood there nervous as could be.

"Hey, aren't ya that girl from earlier?" he asked, as he signed his name.

"Yea, that was me," she chuckled nervously, "I'm very happy to see that you and your… friend are interested in our club." Feeling as though her tone had changed when she said the word 'friend', she tried to discretely calm herself down while smiling.

"Yea… It was mainly her idea, but I decided why not give it a shot…" He responded, never taking his eyes off of her. Before the blunette knew it, she was blushing. She felt so embarrassed that it caused her to blush even more.

'I don't need to feel this way especially since he has a girlfriend. Get it together, Levy!' She thought to herself.

"Well, nice meeting you again… Levy." At that, the dark haired boy was again gone, but this time with a blue haired girl on his arm. It made Levy's blood boil causing her to take another deep breath.

Thinking about it, she had still not gotten his name. She realized he had just wrote it down so decided to look at the paper. Levy saw the name 'Gajeel Redfox' written in black at the bottom of the page. Right above it was 'Juvia Lockser'. That must've been her.

'It's better that I stay into my studies anyway.' The short girl thought as to try and make herself feel better. It hardly worked but she knew it'd get better.

After all the new members signed the new member sheet and the old ones signed the returning sheet, Levy handed them off to Lucy.

"I saw you talking to the new guy! What was that all about?" The blonde asked with much enthusiasm.

"It was nothing, really. I just bumped into him earlier and I was just apologizing again." Levy tried to cover up the true nature of her feelings.

"Is that all?" Lucy pried subtlety.

"Yes, that is all." The blunette had a slight agitation in her tone causing Lucy to stop. Then everyone said their goodbyes and made their way home.

* * *

 **Thanks to everyone who is reading this fic! It means a lot. Please RxR!**


	3. An Unexpected Turn

**Chapter 3: An Unexpected Turn**

Once home, Levy decided to scope around and do a little digging on Gajeel Redfox. Typing his name in her search engine, she found him on a couple common social media sites. When she went to click on them they were set to private so she couldn't see most of his information. The basic things came up; date of birth, year he joined, blah, blah. Nothing useful was being presented to her and she was rather upset by it. Then, she heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" She yelled loud enough for her mom to hear from her room. When she opened it, she figured (and kind of hoped) that it would be Lucy, but she was surely surprised to find Gajeel standing at her door.

"G-Gajeel... Uh, what are you doing here? And how did you know where to find me?!"

The long dark haired boy felt a bit taken aback by the fact that he kept running into this tiny blue headed chick, but he held his composure accordingly and responded, "Calm down shorty. I recently moved in down the street and my dad wanted me to bring a few of our nearby neighbors some, uh... early peace offerings."

Her blood boiled by the fact that he had called her 'shorty' again.

"I told you not to call me shorty..." She said with as much attitude as she could muster up causing him to snicker.

"Whatever you say, pip squeak." He condescendingly retorted followed by another small snicker. She rolled her eyes and looked down at the casserole in his hand.

The blunette raised a brow, feeling curious and asking, "Why is your dad sending peace offerings when you guys just moved here?"

The dark haired boy paused for a second before responding.

"Uh, he isn't really a big people person, ya see..." He began while rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand out of embarrassment, "and sometimes he gets into it with our neighbors..." His response was a bit timid, which she hadn't expected, but it was nice to see a softer side of him. Realizing he didn't want to talk about this subject, she decided to quickly thank him and change it.

"Ah... well thank you for bringing this over then." He shrugged and handed her the dish. She grabbed it and before he could dash off, tried to spark up a bit more conversion.

"Um, Gajeel..." Pausing, she tried coming up with any question, "Which house are you guys living in?" He slowly turned back around, having every intention of walking toward his house and yell 'this is it' before high-tailing it inside, but something about the eagerness he saw in her eyes for him to stay compelled him to stand there and entertain her for a little.

"It's that one." He stated as he pointed two doors down.

"Oh, so you're pretty close, huh?" The blunette attested with a smile.

'Damn, she is really cute when she smiles.' Gajeel thought as he stared at her smile letting his thoughts get the best of him. He tried to shake the thought out of his head, 'What the hell. Shut up brain.'

Before slipping back into reality as he noticed she had began staring at him, he finally responded to her by blurting, "Uh, yea, I guess so... Hey, I gotta go before my dad trips. I'll see ya tomorrow."

He left swiftly as the image of her smiling slipped back into his mind. Feeling embarrassed, he started blushing, walking straight toward his house and going quickly back inside without turning back around.

Levy felt a little lost at his abrupt exit but soon went back inside herself.

She placed the dish he had brought on the counter before running to her room. She sat at her desk and hesitated for a moment before pressing 'send request' on her Facehub account.

Leaving her room to explain to her mom what had happened and why they now had a casserole on their counter, she came back in a quick flurry about 15 minutes later opening her laptop, she was soon welcomed by a wide grin for Gajeel had accepted her request.

* * *

The next morning she woke up bright and early for school, excited for what the day could bring.

Shockingly as she got close to the door, she hesitated. 'What if I see Gajeel?' Since finding out about how close he lives, she had been very in between on her feelings toward the fact. 'Or worse, what if I see him with that girl…?' She continued to think while her hand stayed firm on the door handle.

Thinking it through, she took a deep breath and thought, 'Whether they are together or not shouldn't matter. I will be happy no matter what.' She repeated this to herself once more to make sure she got the message. The tiny blunette was not going to let Gajeel Redfox determine her happiness. Even if the mere thought of him brought a million butterflies to her stomach.

Walking out she looked around and sighed in relief that he wasn't anywhere around. With this she proceeded to walk to school with as little worry as possible.

Within a few minutes she had made it to Fairy Tail Academy and was on her way to her first class. Low and behold, she saw Gajeel down the hall, but the girl she had assumed was his girlfriend was fawning over Gray while Gajeel stood there rolling his eyes at her. Levy felt so confused, but before she could act on it her best friend snuck up on her.

"Hey Lev!" Lucy exclaimed as she led her eyes to where Levy was staring, "Levy…" She paused letting her mind go crazy with thoughts as she noticed who her friend was staring at, "Oh my gosh, Do you have a crush on the new guy?!" The blonde was so loud that everyone near them, including Gajeel, turned around ceasing their commotion. The blunette, feeling so embarrassed that she lowered her head and grabbed the girl by the wrist, pulling her into the nearest restroom.

Levy, now red all over, punched her blonde friend's arm slightly, "What the hell, Luce?!" She whisper-yelled, "Why would you say something like that so loud?"

"First of all, ow... And second, I wouldn't have had to if you had of just told me yesterday! Is this what you were hiding?" Lucy asked with more excitement at the thought of her bff finally having a crush on a boy, than disappointment that she had kept this fact from her when she was prodding yesterday.

Levy stared at her dumbfounded for a second, "Yes, but we've only talked a few times… And I think he has a girlfriend, or at least that's what it looked like at first." She tried to explain as the red on her face grew shades darker.

"Aw, Levy! Your first crush and you're already so jealous of anyone who stands in your way. So cute!" The blonde clapped her hands in glee, feeling very amused. Levy stood there feeling defeated with emotions that she didn't understand.

"Well, I have good news. That girl is not his girlfriend, she's his best friend. They went to junior high together and would look out for one another."

"How in the hell do you know this?" The hazel eyed girl looked at her friend in astonishment.

Calming her enthusiasm, Lucy looked straight into Levy's eyes, "I love gossip and it helps that I'm pretty because people tell me everything!"

Levy could only shake her head. Still feeling a bit defeated, she hung her head low. "Now that I know that he's single, I'm even more nervous! What do I do? Do I tell him? Keep it a secret? I have never felt this way Luce..."

"It's okay, that's what you have me for! Now we will start a little mission I'd like to call: Get Levy a Boyfriend." While Lucy grinned bright, Levy face palmed not knowing what she had actually gotten herself into.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Please RxR**


	4. The Next Step

**Chapter 4: The Next Step**

Gajeel had heard Shrimp's friend. His mind immediately began to go 100 mph. 'Was she really talking about me?' He thought, not sure what to think. He _was_ sure of one thing though, the thought of her liking him made him feel... happy. Juvia, now looking back at him, noticed his slightly reddened face and raised a brow.

Feeling eyes upon him, he turned his head slowly, noticing that not only Juvia, but Gray and Natsu, who had been standing near them this whole time, were now staring at him. Juvia, though, seemed relatively angry.

'Ah, shit.' Was his initial thought as she grabbed hold of his arm.

"Juvia needs to speak to Gajeel this very second!" The darker blue haired girl announced as she pulled him into an empty classroom, closing the door behind them.

"What have you been hiding from Juvia?!" The girl puffed out her cheeks, rather upset that her longtime friend hadn't told her about his new girlfriend (crush).

"I haven't been hiding anything." Gajeel said calmly, trying to get out of this in one piece.

"Well then what was that?!" She continued, "Juvia and Gajeel have a pact! We are supposed to tell each other everything, even the little things." Juvia was feeling betrayed, even though she really had no reasons to. His girlfriend (crush) was his and had nothing to do with her, but she really abided by their pact and didn't want to taint it.

"Look, it's nothing. I barely know her. We've only talked a few times…" He tried staying chill. He didn't want to blurt out anything that would make her imagination run wild. Even though, he was pretty sure it already had.

Juvia took a deep breath. She didn't want to make him angry for nothing but she did want to know the truth.

"You like her, do you not?" Juvia asked bluntly causing Gajeel to become flushed. When he thought about it like that he wasn't sure what to think. He had never really had a major crush and the way his feelings for her had blossomed so quickly without really knowing her, Gajeel didn't know which way was up. But, he knew one thing for certain, "Yes, I like her."

Juvia grinned, squealing with glee. "Gajeel finally has a girlfriend! Juvia is so excited, you must let me meet her!"

Gajeel rolled his eyes, knowing from the start that her mind would go there. "She isn't my girlfriend! We barely know each other… Not to say I don't want to get to know her, just saying that she isn't my girlfriend, damn it…" He tried defending himself to the best of his ability but his best friend was already lost in her own wonderland with thoughts of her very own.

"C'mon, let's go to class. The bell's about to ring." Snapping out of her daze, Juvia followed her best friend out the door and to their first class.

* * *

The first half of the day went rather quickly. Lunchtime had finally come which meant the pressure was on. Juvia hadn't stopped talking about Gajeel's crush since she found out. She had sent countless notes during the classes they had together and texts during the ones they didn't. Now, she knew everything that he did about Levy. His over-imaginative best friend was now ready to meet her and would do anything to do such.

"Juvia's going to go over to her table to say hi." She told Gajeel as they entered the lunchroom.

"Juvia, the fuck, hell no!" The tall, dark haired boy tried pulling his friend back but it was too late. She pulled herself through his strength and made it to the table that held, Levy, Lucy, and Natsu. Feeling completely embarrassed, he tried not to make any eye contact with any of the members at that table. Juvia smiled and said, "Hi there! I'm Juvia and I just wanted to introduce myself to Gajeel's new girlfriend."

Immediately Natsu spit out his juice and Lucy almost choked on her food while Levy sat there in a dumbfounded state. Face palming harder than usual, Gajeel ran over to Juvia and grabbed her by both arms not caring if she dropped her food. Pulling her away without saying a word.

The three members at the lunch table were flabbergasted as they watched the two walk out of the lunchroom and onto the patio.

Gajeel stared at his best friend with much anger in his eyes. "What. The. Fuck. Was That?" He asked, ready to blow up in her face.

"Juvia's sorry! Gajeel knows Juvia can get carried away sometimes. Juvia promises it won't happen again."

"Ya damn right it won't. You cannot talk to her unless we are together and have made a full script on whatever it is you're going to say! How can your imagination just run wild like that?!" Gajeel was so infuriated but seeing how hurt Juvia was, he couldn't find it in himself to stay mad at her. "I'm sorry I snapped on you, just think before you speak next time…"

The darker blue haired girl nodded coyly as they finally sat to eat lunch. A couple minutes before the bell, Levy came outside to find Gajeel.

"Uh, Juvia thinks she will go now. See you later Gajeel." His longtime friend smiled, waving slightly at Levy before throwing out her plate and walking away from the them.

The two sat in silence long enough for the bell to ring for the next class. "Uh, hey I'm sorry about Juvia. She has a wild imagination and a fast mouth." Gajeel admitted, not moving from the lunch table even though he had heard the bell. Levy, equally ignoring the bell, smiled, "It's alright. It was rather alarming but it wasn't really a big deal." They sat in silence a little longer before Gajeel decided to man up and ask her out.

"Hey…" The two ended up saying in unison. "Uh, you go first." He said as the anxiety of the question he wanted ask started to build.

"I was just going to ask if you wanted to walk with me to class…" The petite girl asked ever so timidly.

"That sounds like a plan." They both grinned, Levy more than Gajeel. The two got up and began walking toward the classroom. "This is probably the first time I've ever been late to class." She admitted, a bit embarrassed by her good girl image.

"Can't say the same for me." He joked, trying to make her laugh. He succeeded. They got to the door of her classroom and before Gajeel let her enter her class, he finally spoke up, "Hey, would you, uh, like to go out with me…?" The usually confident and cool guy image fell as he asked her, feeling pretty shy and vulnerable for the first time almost ever. Levy's heart was beating faster than ever but she was jumping for glee inside.

"You mean like a date?" She asked just to clarify. He nodded, "Yea, like a date."

Her grin was brighter than ever. "Yes, I would love to." Once she had replied, he grinned alongside her as his heart began beating as fast as hers. "Alright, great. Friday sound good." The dark haired boy more so declared than asked.

"Friday sounds great." The blunette agreed.

"Awesome. Friday then." He reassured.

"Okay." Both of them didn't know what to do or how to respond and before they knew it, the tardy bell had rung. Honestly, neither of them cared at that moment. Finally saying their goodbyes, they went their separate ways, both having permanent smiles on their faces for the rest of that day.

* * *

 **This chapter came out of me really quick. I was feeling inspired and I hope you all enjoy! RxR**


	5. The First Date

**Chapter 5: The First Date**

The week had come and gone. Levy assumed it was out of her excitement for that Friday. Her first date, ever!

Her heart was beating faster than ever when that afternoon had arrived. Lucy had 'prepared' her by having her watch as many romantic comedies as possible beforehand. Levy felt ready… well as ready as she'd ever be.

Just then, a knock. Her mom was working late tonight, but had wished Levy luck on her date earlier that day. Taking one more look in the mirror, she walked up to the door and took a breather before twisting the handle.

"Hi there." The blunette said to him with a smile.

"Hey…" The raven haired boy responded nonchalantly though inside he felt nervous.

"You look very nice." Gajeel was sporting an open plaid button down with a black tank underneath, and ripped jeans with black converse. 'Wow, he's sexier than I realized.' she thought, causing her to feel more nervous than before.

"Uh, you look nice too." He smirked slightly while skimming her up and down. The petite girl was wearing a white and blue flared dress with blue flats. 'Damn, she is beautiful.' he thought unable to stop his smile.

"You ready to go?" He asked with a toothy grin planted on his face. Seeing his smile made her smile which in turn calmed her nerves. Levy nodded with a quick response of "Yes."

* * *

After walking a few minutes, Levy's mind began to wonder. "So, where are we going?" She asked ever so sweetly as they walked side by side.

"That information is top secret, pip squeak." He made known to her as little as possible wanting to surprise her.

Hearing him call her 'pip squeak' again made her wish she hadn't told him to stop calling her shorty. Going back to her interrogation, she then asked, "Well, how much longer until we get there?"

Rolling his eyes, Gajeel just chuckled. They were close and she would just have to wait it out. "Relax, shorty. Don't ya trust me?"

"Hm, well, we still haven't long met so that answer is up in the air." She responded with a smirk.

"Well, if you didn't trust me at all I don't think you'd be here on this date with me right now, would ya?" Looking at her as his last words escaped his mouth, their eyes met and they both stopped for a second that felt like an eternity to both, even though neither would admit it.

Getting back on track, Gajeel responded, "Don't worry shrimp, we're almost there." Levy rolled her eyes thinking 'He must have researched ever synonym for the word 'short' in the thesaurus because these nicknames were getting ridiculous.' Just as they got to a gate, he stopped and turned back toward her.

"Close your eyes." He said and motioned for her to close them. She stared at him and shook her head 'no'

"Why do you want me to close my eyes?" She exclaimed, feeling cautious, though deep down she felt she could trust him.

"Would you stop complaining and just trust me!" Gajeel's temper was trying to get the best of him, but upon seeing her frightened face and the scared look in her eyes, he tried to calm himself (which was a very new thing for him to do), then he added, "Please… Just trust me."

She nodded and closed her eyes in cooperation, taking a deep breath as she did so. He took her hand and she jumped a little, but was able to relax before he noticed. Gajeel lightly pulled her to their destination and a few seconds later whispered, "Okay, open your eyes…" When she opened them, she saw a sight that was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined.

"Wow…" Were the only words that could form in Levy's mouth at that moment. She just gazed at the open field of many colorful flowers, stretching as far as the eye could see. Turning to Gajeel, she smiled, "How on earth, did you find this place?"

He shrugged, "My old man brought me here a long time ago… before we moved away. When I came back, I remembered where it was, but couldn't bring myself to come back…" Gajeel turned to gaze at Levy, "Until now…" For the second time that day, their eyes became locked on one another's. This time, they let the feelings that both of them felt linger as they stared into each other's gaze.

Soon enough, the sun began to set. As the dark haired boy noticed, her motioned for her to look. She did. And it was even more beautiful than her prior viewing. The way the sun shined over every color of every flower, it was like they stood on a rainbow.

"Gajeel, this is amazing. Thank you…" The blunette said, looking at him for a moment before turning back toward the field with a wide grin. At the sight of her, Gajeel's heart went wild. "No problem, shrimp…"

Levy snapped back and playfully hit him in the stomach with a giggle, "Hey! Are you really going to ruin the moment by calling me names?"

"I didn't ruin anything. Your name is shrimp, and so I called ya shrimp. I- It's cute. " Gajeel proclaimed with a smirk. She raised a brow, "One, that isn't my name and two, shrimp is not cute." Levy was trying not to smile because, honestly, as she became fonder of Gajeel, she was also becoming fonder of her new nickname.

"If it ain't cute, why do I see a smile on your face?" He had a toothy grin, as he caught her right in her lie. 'Damn it… I need to learn to bluff better.' Levy thought as she turned to face him. "Fine. It's cute. Doesn't mean I like being called shrimp all the time. You like pointing out my flaws that much?"

Gajeel felt baffled that she thought he was trying to point out anything bad about her. "Me calling ya shrimp isn't me pointing out flaws…" He began, being careful to not make the situation worse, "I like your stature. I find it, um… very attractive actually."

Rubbing the back of his neck, he felt really embarrassed for saying all this to her. But his therapist words rang through his head 'You have to be open, Gajeel or no one will ever know how you feel.' Those words, though, didn't help the red tint forming on his face.

Levy, on the other hand, was feeling quite taken aback by his statement in a good way. Her face also began to glow bright red, and she couldn't help but smile like a giddy school girl. "Y-you t-think I'm a-a-attractive…?" She asked so timidly that she felt she wasn't going to get the words out.

"Well, yea, shrimp. Why wouldn't I?" He asked in a more serious tone than she had ever heard from him take on.

She shrugged lightly, "I- I don't know… I just… I just never thought someone like you would like someone like me... in that way."

"Someone like me? What does that mean?" It was Gajeel's turn to feel taken aback but this time it was in a bad way.

"I didn't mean it like that." She tried explaining.

"Then what did ya mean it like?!" Gajeel snapped back in a rather loud tone becoming more defensive.

"I mean I find you attractive too!" Levy yelled in response to his hollered tone. When those words escaped her mouth that shut him up real quick. Thinking about how easily his anger had rose, he felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry for raising my voice…" Gajeel responded.

"I- It's okay just let me explain myself before you blow off the handle. Okay?"

He nodded, "Yea, that's something I'm working on."

"Working on?" She asked, confused a bit by his statement.

"Working on… in counseling." He answered, "I- I take anger management classes…"

"Oh…" Levy wasn't sure how to respond to that and just stared at him.

"I know what ya must think, and I'm sure you don't want to be around me anymore. So you can leave if ya want. Won't bother me." He proclaimed, though it was a lie. Sitting down by a nearby tree, he sulked a bit.

Levy just stared at him for a few seconds before walking towards him and kneeling down in front of him.

"You don't have to pretend. I've heard it all-" Before he could let out another word, Levy did something she never thought she would do, she kissed him on the lips. Gajeel had his eyes open in shock, but before he knew it, he was immersed into her soft lips. After a few minutes, she pulled away slowly.

"I'm not leaving, Gajeel. I really like you and if you need help, then I want you to get it and I want to help you too… So will you let me help you?"

He nodded coyly, feeling more confident about his situation than he ever had before. "Thanks, Levy…"

Both smiling, their date ended with them watching the rest of the sunset and for a while, the stars, before they walked home.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading my loves! RxR smooches**


	6. 99 Problems

**Chapter 6: 99 Problems**

Gajeel and Levy went out on dates for the next two weekends. Both were happier than they had ever been. Learning about, and from, one another. On top of that, gossip around school had spread like wildfire that they were the new cutest couple. Girls were jealous that Levy had gotten the sexy new guy, and guys were amazed that Gajeel had gotten the little bookworm to give him the time of day.

Yet, though the school had, they themselves hadn't given each other labels. Both claiming to their friends that they were taking things slow. Making her friends 'awe' and his laugh their asses off. But, the closer their relationship got to a month, the more aware they became that it could go one of two ways, uphill or downhill. Levy was ready to be open and work through anything that they would face as long as they were together. Gajeel, on the other hand, was still very guarded. Though he wanted to be open with Levy, he wasn't sure if he would allow himself to be.

* * *

On a Friday after school, Levy asked if Gajeel wanted to hang out at her house. They walked there together.

"So, anything you want to do besides your homework?" Levy asked him, trying to nudge him to improve his school performance a little at a time.

"How about we skip all that homework stuff and watch a movie, Shrimp?"

"Homework first, then a movie." She declared with a smirk.

Gajeel, rolling his eyes, lovingly put his arm around her. "But it's the weekend, Shrimp."

"Yes, and if we get it done on the first day of the weekend then we can spend the rest of it relaxing." Looking up at him, she winked and he groaned in agony knowing she was right.

"Fine…"

Making it to her house, they both spent time on their homework, Levy helping Gajeel with the things he was having trouble in.

"Alright, we're all finish. Can we watch the movie now, Shrimp?"

She nodded in response as he rushed over to the couch. She went and popped the popcorn while he set up the movie.

He finished putting in 'The Avengers' ecstatic that they had a date to see the second one the upcoming weekend. He rarely went to movies so the fact that it was still out and he was going to be able to go made him more excited than he lead on.

Finishing her part, she sat down the tray of buttered popcorn and two cokes while sitting down next to him. He stood up to turn off the lights then sat back down pulling the popcorn in his lap. She snuggled up next to him and he clicked play.

They were quiet for half the movie but they had seen it twice already and Levy had also seen it in the theaters with the Drama Club a couple semesters back. This little fact caused her to zone out of the movie and focus on something more important, i.e. What were they doing? Were they a couple? Were they just friends? They hung out as friends, but they had kissed a couple of times. They admitted to liking each other but they hadn't mentioned anything beyond that. Levy looked up at Gajeel, content on telling him how she felt but before she could gather his attention her mother came walking through the door.

"Levy, you forgot to turn the front porch light on." Her mother called out.

"Sorry mom! Also, hi!" The blue haired girl called out with a smile, looking back to catch her gaze.

"Evening Levy, Evening Gajeel." She responded with a half-smile.

"Evening Ms. Vermillion…" Gajeel responded halfheartedly as his eyes were glued to the TV.

Mavis playfully rolled her eyes, going to the kitchen to warm-up leftovers.

Levy's mother, Mavis Vermillion, was a hard working woman who had big dreams. Levy's dad, where she got her last name from, was no longer in the picture but Mavis and Levy got along just fine.

"After I eat, I'm going to sleep. I'm off tomorrow so I get to sleep in! We are going to the library tomorrow so you know. And make sure Gajeel gets home early this time, I don't want his father coming for me like last week." The blonde woman made clear.

"Yes mom!" She exclaimed lovingly remembering last Friday when Gajeel had got home exceptionally late. It was almost 12:30 am and though they lived only a couple houses down, his father still tripped and called Levy's mom at the very second Gajeel had walked in the door. Then his dad proceeded to hunt Mavis down the next day at her job to have a further 'discussion' about how their children don't need to be out that late while being in a relationship. Mavis told him it was nothing to worry about but Metalicana snapped at her before storming out.

Levy shuttered at the thought of the way her mom had explained it. Then when she had talked to Gajeel about it, he got all defensive and didn't talk to her for the rest of that day. She ended up having to come to their house to apologize which in turn he did. This was also when their second kiss occurred, the first was at her doorstep after their first date.

Levy was finally knocked out of her thoughts by Gajeel repeating her nickname. "Shrimp, shrimp, are you okay?"

Coming to, she nodded, "Uh huh, I'm fine. Is the movie over?"

"Yea, it went off about 5 minutes ago while you were in La La Land." He mocked her but his thoughts were thinking heavily, wondering about what had been on her mind.

"Ha, Ha. Anyway, my mom said you have to get back early today." Levy said, repeating what her mother had told her.

"How about I don't but we say I did." The raven haired boy replied with a smirk causing her to lightly punch his chest.

"Gajeel…"

"Alright, I'll leave early. But what is 'early'?" Gajeel teased while slowly pulling her closer to him without her knowledge.

"Early is before your curfew and you know this." The short statured girl proclaimed staring into his eyes and blushing lightly because his hands were around her petite waist.

Watching her carefully, he decided it was time and pulled her with one final tug toward him. Now they were chest to chest and their faces were so close that their noses touched which made Levy's light blush turn dark red. His strong arms were around her and she knew there wasn't any escape.

"W- What are you doing?" She asked coyly, feeling vulnerable (an almost natural feeling when she was around him). One of his hands slowly moved up her back and made its way up to cup her cheek.

"I was going to kiss you, but it's almost curfew." Gajeel teased with a smirk looking at the time on the clock behind them. Levy subtly turned before looking back into his eyes. Her heart and brain fought, she knew he should leave but her heart yearned to be kissed by him, in the end her heart won which was a first. "You can be a _little_ late…" She replied, quickly pressing her lips to his. He was taken aback for a second but it didn't take him long to come to his senses and kiss her passionately.

She nibbled his lower lip then let go which gave his tongue time to access the insides of her mouth. He slowly travelled in there, learning every part that he could discover. Levy realized he was having all the fun so she let her tongue play with his. With luck and a little of Gajeel's will, her tongue ended up in his mouth to explore him. Shortly after, their tongues began a little battle for dominance when a loud knock sounded on Levy's door.

The blunette's head perked up quick while Gajeel cursed under his breath and rolled his eyes. She looked at Gajeel and just by his facial expression knew who It was. Pushing herself out of his grasps, she went to open the door but Gajeel got up quickly and ran to stop her.

"Don't! Let me." He knew his father's temper was worse than his and when it came to Gajeel all his anger tend to rise tenfold. Gajeel wanted nothing to happen to Levy, especially not by his dad's hand so he opened the door while she stood behind him.

"GAJEEL! Do you know what time it is?!" Metalicana roared, causing the blunette to jump.

"Yes, it's 11:15." Gajeel responded as calm as possible.

"Which is past your curfew! I know this is hard for you to grasp with a new girlfriend but your ass needs to be in the house at 11:00! Do you understand me?!"

"Yes sir…" He said through clenched teeth. Gajeel was ready to clock his dad in the face but knew he didn't want Levy to see him that way. It equally would have set his progress in anger management back by months.

Metalicana glared straight at Levy. She felt inferior but tried to stand her ground and keep eye contact.

"According to your mother, you play by the rules but I haven't seen that yet!" He yelled.

"I- I am, I- I- I just…" She stammered, looking for the right words before she burst into tears. At this point Gajeel was two seconds from saying 'fuck it' to his anger management classes just when Levy's mom walked out.

"What is all the commotion?" She asked before seeing Gajeel's dad. On site of him, she frowned "Oh, it's you… Why are you in my home, and yelling at that?"

He came up to her and explained in a much escalated voice while Gajeel and Levy stayed in the background.

Mavis shook her head, "I don't understand what the issue is, sir. It was 15 minutes and I'm sure he would have been on his way. Do you not trust your son even when he is only down the street?!"

"Trusting him isn't the point! It is the principle that he said he'd be on time but he wasn't!"

"Did you tell him to tell you if he'd be running late? Because maybe you two should establish that bound before you come bursting into my house late at night in an uproar."

Metalicana fumed, "If the curfew is 11 then he needs to be home at 11 whether he tells me he'll be late or not! You're free-spirited ways are not how I run things in my household."

"Well this isn't your household, is it?" Mavis rebutted as she folded her arms.

Rolling his eyes, Metalicana turned abruptly turned grabbing and pulling Gajeel out the house. "Let's go…"

A teary-eyed Levy watched a fuming Gajeel get pulled to his house. Mavis came up behind her closing the door.

Hugging Levy, she pulled her chin up and looked her in the eyes before saying, "Listen to me. I know you like this boy, but if it's going to work out then you need to get along with his father until he can open up to you. Otherwise, this'll keep happening."

Levy nodded, taking her mother's words to heart before hugging her tight.

"Alright, get to bed. We have a long day tomorrow and I need you well rested," She smiled while patting her head, "We'll also clean this up in the morning."

Nodding once more, she followed her mom to the back before entering her bedroom and falling asleep.

* * *

 **Mavis being Levy's mom is my own crack theory (also, she just feels like everybody's mother to me even though she's in a thirteen year old's body)**

 **Metalicana is a bit ooc but it's just to cause controversy and what not.**

 **Anywho, thanks for reading and please RxR!**


	7. Is It All Worth It?

The next day Levy woke up early to a message on her phone. She had hoped it was Gajeel but it ended being her best friend.

'Hey, Lev! What are you up to today?' The blonde had asked.

Levy stared at the message for a few minutes, not really reading its content because she had the thoughts of the previous night on her mind. She was at a loss. Levy wasn't sure what she could do especially since between her and Gajeel they still hadn't confirmed that they were a couple though everyone, including their parents, perceived them as so.

The bluenette was confused and hurt. All she knew was that she really cared about Gajeel and whether he thought they were a couple or not, she wanted to be there for him. If that meant making amends with his father then that's what she was going to do. As she thought about how she was going to do that, her mother came into her room.

"Good morning. I made breakfast and we'll be leaving for the library around 10 so be ready."

Levy nodded and looked at the clock. It was 8:45. She texted Lucy back, telling her that she'd be helping her mom at the library she had recently bought.

Her mom, Mavis, was a nurse at a local hospital but her lifetime dream had always been to own and run a successful library. In the age of technology, that was a pretty hard thing to do but she was determined. Mavis had just recently saved up enough cash to buyout a local library now it needed to renovated. The two were headed there now to assess to issues and costs while also cleaning the place up a bit.

Levy had went into the kitchen, phone in hand. As she ate breakfast, Lucy continued to text her.

'Do you want some company? I can help you guys out.' Her friend asked. Thinking on it, she figured that be a good idea since they could use the extra hands and Levy would be able to brainstorm on what to do about Gajeel's dad.

"Mom!? Can Lucy come and help us at the library?" She called out to wherever her mom happened to be in the house.

"The more the merrier!" Mavis exclaimed.

Levy texted Lucy just that and told her when and where to meet them.

* * *

The three ladies were in the library, having cleaned up for an hour were now resting.

"Girls, I'm going to look around the place to try and add up my expenses. Are you two going to be okay?"

"Yea, mom. We'll be fine." Levy answered with a kind smile. Mavis grinned and went about her business.

"Okay, so like I was telling you, I need to fix this. I want Gajeel's dad to like me."

Lucy smiled. "He will once he gets to know. He seems even more guarded than Gajeel himself."

"Exactly. This is why I need to find a way for him to open up to me. See me as the great person that I know I am." Levy responded cockily. Lucy rolled her eyes. "You are too much sometimes."

"My mom always says you have to believe in yourself before anybody else can believe in you."

"I guess that makes sense." The blonde shrugged. "So what do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure. It's not like I know his likes or dislikes."

"Well, you know two things then."

Levy raised her eyebrow for she was at a loss. "What you talking about, Luce?"

"He likes Gajeel and dislikes you." She smirked with a giggle. Levy playfully pushed the heavy-chested girl causing her to falter to her right side.

"I have an idea!" Lucy exclaimed.

* * *

Meanwhile at Gajeel's house, Gajeel was sitting on his bed thinking about how it had come to this. He had been 'banned' from seeing the girl he like for a whole two weekends, his phone had been taken and he could only use it when his dad was home and in front of him.

Gajeel felt as if he didn't know his dad anymore. When he was younger, he and his dad were inseparable. Metalicana took him places, they laughed and played around a lot. Then one day, around the time they had moved away from this city, his dad was just different. He didn't smile often, he was always angry and he drank a lot more. It was so bad that Gajeel acted out in middle school just to get his attention even if it was bad attention.

When Gajeel got put into anger management, the counselor said it'd be a good idea if they move back to this town since most of Gajeel's best memories came from here. Metalicana reluctantly agreed and they moved back. Juvia, his middle school best friend and kind of half-cousin, was able to transfer because neither of them liked the idea of being alone in high school.

At that point, Gajeel decided not to be as big of a jerk as he was in middle school. He wanted to start anew and hoped that his dad would want to do the same. So far, that wasn't happening. If anything, he got worse because he became overprotective and clingy.

When Gajeel met Levy, it was like all the weight of the past had been lifted and he thought, even if his dad couldn't, maybe he could actually start anew. But of course, thanks to his pops, he couldn't even do that for himself. The young rebel was at a loss. All he wanted was to be with Levy, maybe even have a good time with his friends every once in awhile, but all that felt impossible in his current situation. He thought about going to live with Juvia and her folks but it'd probably be worse. Not only would he have to deal with Juvia every hour of the day but her folks weren't a better consolation from his own home.

Laying there, Gajeel was determined to do something. He wasn't going to sit idly by.

"I need to talk to her." He whispered to himself.

His dad had gone to work and wouldn't be back until late that evening. It was 11:05 according to his clock. He got up and walked over to Levy's. Knocking on the door, he found there was no answer. He huffed, figuring her and her mom must be out. From what he vaguely remembered from last night, she had said something about a library. He groaned because he hated libraries but he truly wanted to see Levy and needed to talk to her. Gajeel calculated how long it'd take him to get to downtown from the bus. He hoped that it wouldn't be that many libraries to check. Making his way to the bus stop, he began his mission to find his shrimp.

* * *

It was 12 by the time Mavis got down with her library inspection. The girls were hungry at the point so Mavis told them that they could pick whatever they restaurant they wanted to go to for lunch. The two chose a tiny bistro around the corner from the library.

"Alright, sounds like a plan. Back up your things and we can all head out."

As the young girls got their purses, they heard a knock on the library door which was odd since there was a closed sign on the front and it seemed otherwise abandoned. The knock occurred again and the two grew startled.

"Mom! Someone's at the door." Levy exclaimed in slight fear.

Mavis walked out, "Levy, that's impossible. Who would be at thi-" Before she could finish her sentence, there was the knock again. She raised a brow and looked at them before glancing back at the door. She strode over to the door and cracked it. She was about to ask who it was but realized it was a recognizable face.

"Levy, it's for you." Mavis responded, opening the door fully. Lucy and Levy gasped simultaneously and Gajeel burst through the door.

"Levy, I've been to five different libraries looking for you. This was my last hope. I really want to talk to you." Gajeel rambled.

The blunette stared in shock and nodded, "Uh, okay. Come with me to the back." She grabbed his hand and walked away from her best friend and her mother.

"Why didn't you text me? I would've sent you the address." She stated as she close the door to the back area.

"My dad took my phone and I didn't have time to look for your number to call you from the landline."

"You guys have a landline?" Levy asked curiously.

"That really isn't the point here."

"You are totally right. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, for one, I never said it but yes, I do see you as my girlfriend. I care about you."

She gazed at him with love in her eyes, tears welling up a bit. "Gajeel… I care about you too."

"That being said, my dad has issues. I don't know where they came from or how they originated but they're there and they're worse than mine."

"I see that. What does that have to do with me and you?... wait, are you b- breaking up with me…?" She asked solemnly.

He shook his head wildly, "Hell no!" Gajeel walked up to his girlfriend and held her hands. "I came here to tell you that I'm not giving up on us no matter what. And that because of you I just said the sappiest shit I've ever said."

Levy laughed with a genuine smile. "I like that you can be sappy with me."

"Good. It only happens when I'm with you." They both laughed.

"What are we going to do about you dad?"

"I'm not sure but I know it'll be worth it."

* * *

 **It's been a good minute. I was definitely not inspired to write this story and almost gave up on it a few times but I persevered and now I think I'm ready to complete it. I have a groove and I think I actually know where I want it to go.**

 **Thanks for waiting and I hope you enjoyed!**


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